10 Foods To Help You Overcome Hunger Pains

Do you feel hungry all the time? Are you feeling the urge to raid your kitchen every now & then to satisfy your sudden hunger pangs? Do you often feel hungry during the late-night hours in spite of having a sumptuous dinner? If your answer is ‘Yes’ to all these questions, then worry not for you are not the only one.

Most of us have gone through or are currently going through constant hunger pangs, which make us feel that our stomach is empty, and needs to be refilled.

This constant feeling of hunger distracts us from our work. The next thing we do is to hunt for readily available instant food that we are craving for, and before we realise, the damage is already done.

If you are one of those who are struggling hard to control the constant hunger pangs, then you have landed at the right place. Keep reading to understand how and what needs to be done to control this situation.

The Internet is flooded with a plethora of healthy diet meal plans to keep you fit and active. Any of us can get inspired and try to follow these in order to keep our weight and overall health in check.Hunger pangs are also known as hunger pains, which are essentially a result of irritation sensation in the stomach linings. It is not necessary that this irritation will happen on an empty stomach only. It might happen after a couple of hours of having a heavy meal.

An irritated stomach causes a sensation of pain, and even a gnawing feeling due to rubbing of its walls. This sensation is relieved by the intake of food, as the stomach walls get separated and are prevented from rubbing.

Hunger pangs are like sudden urge or desire for food rather than true hunger. These often result in weight gain, as these will prompt an individual to eat when he/she is not hungry.

Almonds

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? However, nuts of any kind are well known for being fulfilling snacks. While chips might sound like the more obvious choice for snacking, having nuts, especially almonds, are much more beneficial for health.If you find yourself feeling hungry between your meals, or after dinner before you go to bed, you can eat a few almonds to satiate your hunger. However, make sure that you don’t reach the point where you are ravenous and end up eating a whole packet of them. Remember that everything is good until a certain limit.

Meat

For most people, a meal is incomplete without including meat in it. Research shows that including meat in a meal is a “learned behaviour” that contributes psychologically to make people feel fuller.

However, the entire concept of eating meat to feel full cannot be solely attributed to our psyche. Meat, especially beef, pork etc. are high in protein and fat which take longer for our stomachs to digest.

Even though there is no conclusive evidence to support that there is a difference in the different types of meat in terms of satiating our hunger, it is better to opt for lean meat like chicken, fish etc. regarding nutrition during dinner to keep us full for an extended period of time.

Oatmeal

Even though it is not the obvious choice when it comes to eating something at night, oatmeal is something that can curb your hunger pangs for a long period of time. It is also one of the most recommended foods to include in one’s diet to lose weight.

The thick and gooey texture of oats comes from a fibre called beta-glucan. The beta-glucans take a long time to travel through the digestive tract and thus keep us full for a long period of time.

Additionally, they also keep our cholesterol levels in check by trapping bile and expelling it from our body and consequently forcing our bodies to use cholesterol to produce more bile.

Soup

Drinking soup alone as a meal might not satiate your hunger for long. However, including a type of soup with your meal, especially during dinner, can help to control the portion sizes of your meal. Thus they are one of the best foods to eat at night to lose weight. Studies show that people who have a cup of soup before their meals feel significantly fuller and do not feel hungry for longer. If you are looking to cut down weight, it is best to choose a clear soup with chunks of meat or veggies than a creamy one.

Cottage cheese

Cottage cheese is one of the healthiest choices of snack for bodybuilders and people who are on a diet. It can effectively curb your hunger and keep you satiated for a long time.

If you are feeling hungry after dinner, eating a bit of cottage cheese can curb your hunger completely. It is one of the most nutritious choices among cheeses and pairs well with fresh black pepper.

Legumes

One of the best foods to eat at night to lose weight is legumes. Legumes are a collection of pulses that include peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas. You can prepare them in anything like soup, salad, chilli, stew etc. for dinner.Legumes are full of soluble fibres and complex carbohydrates like oligosaccharides. Our body takes a long time to digest these complex carbohydrates and as a result, helps us to remain satiated for a longer period of time.

Greek yoghurt

Greek yoghurt is produced by straining regular yoghurt which concentrates all its nutrients. Thus it is high protein food which helps to curb hunger pangs. Eating Greek yoghurt by itself or using it as a substitute for sour cream or a dip can help you to satiate your hunger pangs at night.

However, before buying Greek yoghurt, makes sure that the concentration of the yoghurt is because the whey is removed and not because cream has been added to it.

Flaxseed

Flaxseeds are a rich source of fibre and omega-3 fats. Even though they don’t take up a lot of place in your stomach, they help to satiate your hunger.

However, it is important to remember that our body cannot digest the hard shell of flaxseeds and thus they need to be grounded to make them edible.

Just pair them with yoghurt or a smoothie, and they can easily be the best food to eat at night to lose weight.

Avocados

Categorised as versatile foods, avocados can be paired up with just about anything. Use them in salads, sandwiches or make good old guacamole to keep you full during the night. Avocados are a great source of soluble fibre that helps to form a thick gel-like substance which takes time to get digested by our body. Thus they are the best food to eat at night to keep your stomach full for a longer time.

Berries

If you are craving some sweets late at night, do not give in to sugar. Instead, settle for a bowl of berries. Berries are loaded with fibre which helps you to remain full for a long time. They also contain magnesium that helps you to relax your nerves and muscles and help you to sleep better.